WASHINGTON — Would Parmesan by any other name be as tasty atop your pasta? A ripening trade
battle might put that to the test.

As part of trade talks, the European Union wants to ban the use of European names such as
Parmesan, feta and Gruyere on cheese made in the United States.

The argument is that the American-made cheeses are shadows of the original European varieties
and cut into sales and identity of the European cheeses. The Europeans say Parmesan should come
only from Parma, Italy, not those familiar green cylinders that American companies sell.

So, a little “hard grated cheese” for your pasta? It doesn’t have quite the same ring as
Parmesan.

U.S. dairy producers, cheesemakers and food companies are all fighting the idea, which they say
would hurt the $4 billion domestic cheese industry and endlessly confuse consumers.

“It’s really stunning that the Europeans are trying to claw back products made popular in other
countries,” said Jim Mulhern, president of the National Milk Producers Federation, which represents
U.S. dairy farmers.

The European Union would not say exactly what it is proposing or even whether it will be
discussed this week as a new round of talks on an EU-United States free trade agreement opens in
Brussels.

Although they have not laid out a public proposal, the EU is expected to make similar attempts
to restrict marketing of U.S.-made cheeses, possibly including Parmesan, Asiago, Gorgonzola, feta,
fontina, grana, Gruyere, Muenster, Neufchatel and Romano.

Some producers say they are incensed because it was Europeans who originally brought the cheeses
here, and the U.S. companies have made them more popular and profitable in a huge market. Errico
Auricchio, president of the Green Bay, Wis., company BelGioioso Cheese Inc., produced cheese with
his family in Italy until he brought his trade to the United States in 1979.

“We have invested years and years making these cheeses,” Auricchio said. “You cannot stop the
spreading of culture, especially in the global economy.”